No.  65 


W Oman’s  Union  Missionary  Society 

WOMAN’S  LIFE  IN  INDIA 

By  Miss  RODERICK 


I am  going  to  try  and  give  a sketch  of  girl-life  among  the 
Bengalis,  and  I must  begin  by  describing  the  native  dwellings, — 
homes  I will  not  call  them,  for  in  the  first  place  there  is  no  such 
word  in  their  language,  and  in  the  next,  a Bengali  dwelling  knows 
nothing  of  the  comforts  of  a home.  The  street-door  has  a chain  for 
fastening  it  on  the  outside,  and  as  the  inside  is  usually  bolted  if  the 
men  are  away  from  the  house,  callers  find  it  convenient  to  use  the 
chain  as  a knocker.  Another  mode  of  gaining  admittance,  is  to 
shout,  and  ask  if  anybody  is  at  home,  for  visiting  cards  are  unknown? 
From  the  street-door  you  enter  the  outer  court,  but  if  space  is 
limited,  and  the  house  does  not  have  one,  the  street-door  opens  into 
a small  passage  with  a platform  built  of  brick  on  either  side  of  it, 
and  not  unfrequently  is  seen  stretched  on  one  of  these,  tightly  wrap- 
ped from  head  to  foot  in  a white  sheet,  the  figure  of  a man ; this  is 
the  door-keeper,  and  if  he  wakes,  will  get  up  and  make  you  a pro- 
found salaam. 

AN  INSIDE  VIEW. 

On  one  side  of  the  hall  is  the  sitting-room  of  the  men  of  the 
house,  and  it  is  the  only  room  that  has  a carpet,  which  is  usually  of 


(2) 


Indian  manufacture,  a thick  cotton  stuff  woven  in  stripes,  in  appear- 
ance like  American  rag  carpets.  This  is  placed  on  mats,  and  to  keep 
it  from  soiling,  a cotton  sheet  is  spread  over  it.  Large  round  bol- 
sters also  covered  with  white  are  arranged  along  the  walls,  to  support 
the  back  when  sitting  on  the  floor.  The  women  folks  never  e?iter 
this  room  when  the  men  are  in  it.  There  is  no  particular  sitting 
room  for  the  women,  but  as  the  houses  of  India  are  built  with  ver- 
andas around  the  inner  court,  these  inner  rooms  are  appropriated  by 
the  women,  who  come  out  during  the  cooler  part  of  the  day.  From 
the  narrow  entrance  passage  just  described,  which  answers  for  a hall 
in  a Bengali  dwelling,  access  may  be  gained  to  the  inner  court,  where 
the  woman’s  domain  begins,  but  if  any  of  her  husband’s  relations 
older  than  he  happen  to  come  in,  she  vanishes  into  one  of  the  rooms 
before  he  can  almost  get  a glimpse  of  her;  if  she  had  not  time  to 
hide  herself  from  his  sight,  she  turns  her  back  and  draws  her  saree 
over  her  face. 

In  the  bedrooms  no  carpets  are  to  be  seen.  A bit  of  carpet  near 
the  bed  is  suggestive  of  feet  being  wiped  before  going  to  bed,  a 
necessary  caution,  as  after  the  age  of  ten,  a girl  is  not  allowed  to 
wear  shoes  and  stockings.  The  bedroom  is  particularly  stifling,  but 
that  is  easily  accounted  for,  for  every  window,  and  they  are  not  very 
large,  is  fast  closed,  and  the  entrance  door  has  a fine  bamboo  screen 
before  it  to  keep  out  flies,  and  so  the  pure  air  of  heaven  in  vain  tries 
to  find  admittance.  As  the  bedrooms  are  small,  half  of  the  room  is 
taken  up  by  a large,  showy,  wooden  bedstead  with  curtains,  the 
favorite  color  being  green  with  scollops  of  Turkey  red  all  around  the 
top,  and  a border  of  the  same  below.  The  whole  appears  dingy 
with  age  and  lack  of  neatness.  Sheets  and  pillowslips  are  used,  and 
their  bright  colored  quilts  have  also  white  covers  to  them.  Great 
chests  contain  the  family  wardrobe,  jewels  and  money. 


(3) 


KITCHEN  AND  COOKERY. 

The  kitchen,  for  a wonder,  has  a cared-for  appearance,  the  floors 
and  the  lower  part  of  the  walls  being  smeared  every  day  with  fuller’s 
earth.  All  the  brass  cooking  utensils  and  plate,  shine  like  gold  on 
the  low  square  wooden  stool  which  is  used  in  place  of  a dresser.  A 
Bengali  house-wife  is  proud  of  her  cooking;  she  knows  nothing  of 
baked  bread,  but  she  prepares  for  her  family  a small  cake  of  wheaten 
flour  fried  in  melted  butter,  which  she  calls  “ loochees ,”  and  which  she 
serves  as  she  cooks  them  to  ensure  their  being  hot;  but  rice  is  the 
chief  food  of  the  Bengalis.  Puddings  are  unknown,  but  “sweets,” 
mostly  of  cream  or  curds  and  sugar,  take  their  place.  A favorite 
dish  is  curds  rolled  into  balls  and  fried  in  melted  butter  and  then 
dropped  into  a thick  syrup.  Table  manners  are  not  observed,  meals 
are  partaken  while  seated  on  a carpet  with  the  dishes  on  the  bare 
floor.  At  dinner  or  breakfast  a large  dish  of  rice  is  placed  before 
each  person,  around  which  are  placed  a number  of  tiny  cups  and 
dishes  containing  the  various  curries  and  lentil  soup. 

THE  CHILDREN. 

Bengali  babies  are  to  be  pitied ; their  wardrobe  consists  of  a few 
garments  like  short  primitive  night-dresses,  and  one  dress  for  best. 
In  nearly  every  house  is  to  be  seen  a low  cot  or  swinging  cradle  in 
which  the  baby  takes  its  mid-day  nap.  Within  the  last  few  years  it 
has  been  thought  necessary  by  the  Bengalis  to  educate  their  daugh- 
ters, but  they  are  not  yet  willing  to  spend  any  money  for  it.  The 
old  system  was  to  train  girls  to  be  house-wives,  not  scholars,  though 
tradition  gives  a few  names  of  women  who  attained  to  great  emi- 
nence as  such.  Bengali  girls  are  quick  at  learning,  and  it  is  not 
their  fault  when  they  arrive  at  the  age  of  womanhood  only  partially 
educated,  for,  if  allowed  to  attend  school,  they  can  only  do  so  up  to 
the  age  of  ten,  for  at  that  age  they  are  married,  and  then,  if  of  high 


caste,  on  no  account  appear  in  public.  In  character  the  Bengali  girl 
is  gentle  and  quiet,  pleasant  and  graceful  in  manner,  and  loveable 
on  the  whole. 


NATIVE  DRESS. 

A Bengali  woman’s  dress  is  pretty  and  graceful.  She  loves  jewelry, 
even  the  poorest  wear  some  articles  which  are  hoarded  up  to  be  given 
as  dowries  to  daughters  or  to  descend  to  heirs.  A girl’s  bridal-dress 
is  of  red  silk  and  gold  brocade,  a few  jasmine  blossoms  are  threaded 
together  and  fixed  on  the  part  of  the  saree  that  is  drawn  over  the 
head.  After  the  ceremony  the  bride’s  face  is  shown  to  the  guests, 
and  the  men  present  have  the  privilege  of  seeing  it. 

NO  HOPE  IN  DEATH. 

After  death  no  loving  memorial  is  reared  in  memory  of  the 
departed.  The  body  is  carried  by  the  nearest  relatives  for  crema- 
tion to  the  banks  of  a river,  and  the  ashes  are  thrown  into  it.  The 
religion  of  their  forefathers,  which'  they  cling  to  so  blindly,  has  no 
comfort  for  them  when  the  hand  of  death  casts  its  dread  shadow 
over  a household : 

“ And  are  they  dust  and  dust  must  we  become  ? 

Or  are  they  living  in  some  unknown  clime  ? 

Shall  we  regain  them  in  that  far  off  home  ? 

And  live  anew  beyond  the  waves  of  time  ? ” 

These  doleful  lines  best  express  the  hopeless  yearnings  of  a Hindu 
woman.  How  privileged  we  should  feel  if  we  can  rescue  one  soul, 
to  see  the  light  of  the  Gospel,  which  will  lead  them  to  live  in  the 
glorious  hope  of  a life  of  immortality  with  Him  who  has  redeemed 
us  from  sin  and  death. 


(5) 


Into  such  homes  as  described  by  one  of  its  missionaries,  the 
Woman’s  Union  Missionary  Society  has  been  at  work.  Organized 
in  i860,  it  was  the  first  society  of  women  in  America  to  open  the 
Zenanas  of  India.  Increasing  year  after  year,  it  is  represented  in 
Calcutta,  Allahahad,  Cawnpore  and  Jhansi  by  its  Zenana  schools, 
Orphanages  and  medical  work.  Does  it  not  seem  a privilege  to  you 
to  help  its  growth  and  efficiency  by  your  gifts  and  prayers  ? 


OFFICERS  OF  THE  WOMAN’S  UNION  MISSIONARY 
SOCIETY: 


MRS.  HENRY  JOHNSON,  President . 


MISS  S.  D.  DOREMUS, 
MISS  C.  L.  CLARKE, 
MISS  MARY  S.  STONE, 
MISS  E.  B.  STONE, 


Corresponding  Secretaries. 
Assistant  Treasurers. 


Mission  Room,  67  Bible  House,  New  York. 


Checks  payable  to  “ Woman’s  Union  Missionary  Society.” 

Send  for  the  Missionary  Link,  issued  monthly.  Price,  50  cents 
a year. 


